Halt's Favorite
by Bralt
Summary: Tis a tale of how two apprentices and a commadant decide who Halt's favorite should be. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**This started out as a one-shot but ended up turning into a chaptersome story.**

Halt's Favorite

The group was sitting around a fire they had set up in front of the cabin for the night. It was nice to have a little camping experience for the fun of it and not for a mission. The fire blazed tall and proud illuminating the groups features. Halt sat on the right of Pauline on a sideways log. He had his arm draped around her shoulders. Gilan was sitting in a similar position with Jenny on a log to Halt's right. Will and Alyss shared their log. Horace sat on the ground alone, watching with a smile.

"Hey Halt, I've been meaning to ask you something." Gilan said. He released Jenny and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

"When aren't you asking me something?" Halt said in an exasperated sigh.

"Actually, I'm the one who asks the questions. Gilan is the one who gave you the gray hairs." Will smiled at his mentor. He got a scowl in return.

"If I remember correctly, you gave me as many gray hairs as Gilan. Only you did it differently. Gilan wore me out; you scared the death out of me with your many little adventures." Halt grimaced. "I don't have that many gray hairs anyways."

"I won't answer that Halt," Gilan said. "Now back to my question."

"Go on." Halt rolled his eyes and Pauline smiled.

"Who was the better apprentice? Will or me?" Will looked at Gilan and mouthed the word 'me'.

"Well, you both were annoying little twits that never let me have any peace." Halt pretended to think but Will stopped him.

"Annoying, we were. Twits, we were. But small, we were not. We were just… Halt sized." Will grinned at his comparison.

"This is why I can't choose which of you were better. You both seem to enjoy using me as the butt of your poor jokes." Halt shook his head.

"I think that you were always more worried when Will disappeared. That seems to me like you cared for him more," Pauline said. She shifted her head so it was lying on Halt's shoulder and she was looking up at him.

"That's because I always knew Gilan would come back. He's like a rash, you think you finally get rid of it and it comes back more irritating than ever. Even if somebody kidnapped him, they'd bring him back. With Will, you never knew." Halt looked at his apprentices. He was beginning to hate this conversation.

"But who did you like the most?" Horace looked up at Halt with a wild smile.

"Well, Gilan burnt my coffee. And then they both inhaled it faster than I could. If I thought about it, I would have traded them both for a pot of coffee." Pauline lightly slapped Halt on the arm.

The apprentices faked hurt expressions. Alyss decided to speak up. "Oh come on Halt. You couldn't survive a month without these two at least seeing you once. You've been surviving without coffee for around six months." Alyss covered her mouth with her hand. But it was too late; Halt had heard what she had said.

"What do you mean I've been surviving without coffee? I drink it every day, all day." Halt looked at Pauline suspiciously. He suspected something. "Does this have anything to do with why it's tasted different? I thought you said it was just how they made it now! Why would you switch it to decaf?" Halt let go of Pauline and stared at her with icy eyes.

"It was for your own good. You were drinking that stuff like it was going to save your life!" Pauline tried to snuggle back with Halt but he scooted away.

"So! Back to the question. Who do you like best?" Alyss said trying to cover her mistake.

"Well, let's put it like this, at some points I wished they would both just disappear. Sometimes, I wanted to throw them into a moat or make them climb a tree. And most the time I did do that. But sometimes I wished that I had Gilan instead of Will and sometimes I wished I had anybody but Gilan. However, most the time I just slapped myself and asked why I ever chose an apprentice." Halt turned back to Pauline. "And right now I would praise the one who gave me coffee."

Gilan and Will immediately jumped up and started wrestling to get to the cabin first to get the coffee they had brought. Will squirmed free and raced to the house with Gilan in hot pursuit. On the way back, Gilan tackled Will and grabbed the coffee. He raced to the fire and handed it to Halt.

"There you go!" He turned to Will. "I am Halt's favorite." He sneered.

Will jumped up and tackled Gilan. Gilan broke free. "Stop!" Halt yelled.

Will stood up panting and looked at Gilan with amusement in his eyes. "I declare that we have a competition to see who Halt's favorite is." He stuck out his hand for Gilan to shake it. Gilan shook it.

"What will we do to decide?" Gilan released Will's hand and smiled wickedly.

"At the next Gathering, we'll see who annoys him the most. Whoever he threatens the most will be his least favorite." Will thought the idea was weak but it just might work. After all, Halt did tend to threaten people a lot.

"Deal," Gilan said and sat back down next to Jenny and Will sat back down next to Alyss.

"What have I done?" Halt shook his head. Pauline slid next to him and patted his back.

"Maybe I should let you have that coffee. You'll need it next week." She smiled and contained her laughter.

"It's that close! I don't even get a month of freedom from these two?" Halt groaned.

Everybody but Halt burst into laughter. They only laughed harder when Gilan stood and yelled, "Let the Halt War begin!"

Halt just cursed his apprentices under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Gilan and Will rode into camp with Halt ahead of them. They were smiling wickedly but Halt looked as if he could kill a bear with his hands right about now. As they rode past Rangers, the Rangers smiled. Anytime that Halt was angry was a funny time as long as it wasn't directed at you.

They dismounted their horses and made camp next to the forest line but close enough to be in the thick of things. Halt was finished first and started setting up a fire. Will and Gilan finished and each sat uncomfortably close to Halt on either side. Halt just gave them death stares. When the coffee was made and the apprentices had given Halt a little breathing room, Crowley walked up and smiled.

"Good to see you! I suppose you want to give me some of that coffee." Crowley sat next to Gilan and looked at Halt.

"It's funny, you seem to show up at the perfect moments," Halt said not the least bit amused.

"Well then, somebody's a little grumpy today." Crowley made a mock mad face. Halt only frowned more.

"You didn't have to ride here with these two." Halt motioned at Gilan and Will who were grinning broadly. "They've been driving me crazy." Halt glared at the two.

"Halt, you're already crazy." Crowley smiled but stopped when Halt switched his gaze to him.

"Am I now? I seem to remember some funny stories that would make some question your sanity."

"Is that anyway to treat your commandant?" Crowley shrank under Halt's look. He decided to change the subject. "What have these two done to get you so angry?" Crowley looked to Gilan.

"We are deciding who Halt's favorite is. We annoy him and at the end of the Gathering, whoever is threatened the most loses." Gilan smiled broadly.

"I think that whoever sneaks up on him and scares him should be the winner." Crowley looked at Will and he considered the idea.

"Why?" Will finally asked.

"Well because, whoever can sneak up on him was the one he probably spent more time training and who he put the most effort into." Crowley smiled as both the apprentices nodded. "I want in on this."

"You were never my apprentice!" Halt yelled. He hated this.

"I don't care. It's always fun annoying you." Crowley smiled then turned back to Gilan and Will. "So can I be in on this?" They both nodded. "Okay then, whoever sneaks up on Halt and scares him is the winner. But remember, if you scare him you have to get away before he kills you or it doesn't count."

"I hate you all." Halt stood and walked away. This was going to be a long three days.

**Please review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Gilan, Will and Crowley looked at each other and then all stood up and practically ran over each other trying to follow Halt. This would be the perfect time to attack. Halt wouldn't expect them to try so soon. Crowley got free first and took off at a sprint. Will and Gilan stood and watched him go.

"Well at least we get the rest of the coffee." Gilan turned and sat back down next to the small fire.

"That's a good thing I guess." Will looked at Gilan skeptically. "What happens to the losers?"

"That's a good question Will." Gilan thought for a moment. "Well, if you think about it, if we sneak up on Halt and fail he'll probably throw us into something so I really don't think anything would need to happen to the losers."

"I agree." Will finished his drink. "You want to go see Crowley fail?" Will stood up and put his cloak on.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Gilan rose and put his cloak on as well.

They followed Crowley stealthily. Soon they were only a short distance behind him and following. Crowley was to intent on chasing Halt to look for pursuers so that made it all the more easy. Crowley stopped and his two pursuers stopped as well. They ducked behind a tree almost directly behind him and peeked around the sides.

Crowley slipped out from behind his tree and headed into the clearing that they were standing around. He moved close to the tree line trusting his cloak to keep him hidden. Halt was in the middle of the clearing resting against a downed tree, oblivious to everything around him. He seemed completely vulnerable. Crowley got to a position behind Halt and slipped down to his stomach. He began to move silently like the expert he was. For a moment, Gilan and Will thought he might succeed. But then they saw one of Halt's eyes lazily open up and knew Crowley was a goner. Halt had known somehow what Crowley was doing.

Halt waited for Crowley to get almost directly behind the log. Crowley had no idea that Halt had discovered him so he was smiling smugly. That was, until Halt turned over fast and grabbed Crowley's wrist with an iron grip. Halt stood and hoisted Crowley across the log that was separating them. Halt couldn't keep him in the air though. Crowley was a little taller than him.

Halt grabbed Crowley's shirt around the neck with his free hand and let go of his wrist. "Do you give up? If you do I might take it easy on you." Crowley tried to wiggle free but it was useless.

"No. I don't give up Halt." Something in Halt's eyes made Crowley believe that backing down wasn't an option anyway.

"Then I guess I'll deal with you like I deal with Gilan and Will and any other pesky people." Halt turned his head towards Gilan and Will's hiding place. "Come on out! I want to set an example for you!" Halt called.

Gilan and Will came out of hiding, smiling like they had won a month's worth of coffee. Crowley glared at them. They pretended not to notice and followed Halt as he half dragged half carried Crowley into the tree line where Crowley had approached from. They walked for around five minutes before a giant lake came into view. This was where the river that they used for water started. Crowley started struggling. He hated water as much as a cat hated baths.

Gilan and Will watched with amusement. Halt gave Crowley a mighty shove and Crowley landed about two feet in. His head came up with his hair plastered to his scalp. He spluttered and shot angry looks at the two laughing younger men. Even Halt looked quite amused. His eyes had a spark in them that Crowley only saw when Halt was hunting robbers. He climbed out of the lake and was immediately pushed back in.

"What was that for?" Crowley yelled at Halt as he surfaced again.

"I didn't say you could climb out yet," Halt said innocently. Gilan and Will looked like they would die laughing.

"I am your commandant! I paid the price by being shoved in once, twice is just you going overboard!" Crowley shouted. Despite his statement, Crowley stayed standing chest deep in the water.

"Gosh that laughing is getting annoying." Halt walked over to his former apprentices and shoved them in the lake also.

They landed a few feet from Crowley. Their laughing stopped suddenly and when they surfaced they looked at Halt confused and angry. Gilan recovered first.

"What was that for?" He yelled.

"From what I saw, you were sneaking around also. How was I to know that you weren't going to try to scare me after Crowley failed?" Halt asked a little too innocently. He turned and started walking back towards the camp.

The three Rangers stood chest deep in the water until they were sure that Halt was gone. They climbed out and started shivering a little.

"I am starting to think he's enjoying this a little." Gilan crossed his arms and gave a slight shiver.

"That's never good." Will did the same as Gilan.

"We are still keeping this contest on though. No matter what he does." Crowley rubbed his hands together and looked at the two men. He was moving a little weirdly.

"Why's that?" Gilan looked at him a little suspiciously.

"Because I have a fish in my pants from when he shoved me in." Crowley gave his leg a violent shake and a fish fell out the pant leg. Gilan and Will burst into laughter again. "Not one word to any other Rangers." Crowley looked at them fiercely. Gilan and Will didn't hear him over their laughter.

Crowley started walking towards camp with two men laughing like they were drunk following him. He grumbled all the way and started thinking of ways to sneak up on Halt.

**Hope you enjoyed! Review please. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

It was dusk and the light from various fires cast a soft glow around the camp. Will and Halt were sitting around the fire next to their tents. Gilan was wandering around catching up with some old friends and making bursts of laughter explode from random parts of the camp. Crowley was walking around giving orders for the next day. There was one final year apprentice, one first year and two second years that needed to be examined. Finally, the two Rangers sat down next to Halt and Will.

"How was your day Crowley?" Halt asked as his companion seated himself comfortably.

"Tomorrow should be better. All that's really going on is training. Then the next two days should be rearranging things and making sure everything's okay. Not too many reports to go through this year. It was quite peaceful." Crowley smiled and took the cup of coffee Gilan handed him. "What are you planning to do these three days? All the Rangers arrived so you don't have to hunt anybody down. And I don't think I have anything planned for you until we judge the final years."

"Maybe I'll run around like a fool and try to sneak up on a poor defenseless man." Halt took a sip of his coffee.

"Halt, when it comes to you, you are anything but defenseless. I can't count how many times you caused men to die with that death stare you got." Gilan smiled and Crowley and Will started snorting with held back laughter. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be able to strangle a bear with your hands?" Gilan started laughing with Will and Crowley.

"I can strangle an apprentice, that's for sure." Halt took another sip of his drink.

"Problem is I'm no longer your apprentice." Gilan looked at Halt with a wide smile. Crowley and Will stopped laughing as Halt glared at them.

"Geese Halt, you really could kill with that glare you got," Crowley said. Halt was the only one not laughing.

"I really am wondering why I talk to you all." Halt finished his drink and crawled into his tent.

"Guess he's a little old if he's going to bed this early. The moon is just rising." Crowley smirked. He finished his coffee and leaned back against a rock.

"If you're a wise man, you'll leave in three seconds," A voice said from inside the tent. It sounded angry.

Crowley didn't even argue. He looked at the tent and jumped up. "I'll be seeing you then." He walked away with a quick stride. He looked back once to make sure Halt hadn't followed him.

Gilan and Will started laughing at the look Crowley shot back. After a while, they calmed down and stopped making jokes about Halt and his age. Mostly because the tent dweller was getting angry and threatening them with no coffee. They laid back and looked up at the stars.

Too soon, Gilan had to leave if he was to get up before noon the next day. Will laid by the dying fire waving and occasionally talking to Rangers as they made their way to their own tents. It felt good being surrounded by those just like you. Will looked up at the stars until he was sure everybody was asleep. He threw some braches in the fire and stood. It was time he tried to scare Halt.

He walked cautiously over to Halt's tent that was situated a meter away from his. He listened and calmed when he heard Halt's quiet slow breathing. He smiled. He crouched in front of the tent and grabbed two rocks. He struck them together to create a loud noise. He heard Halt's breathing change.

"You fool! If you keep stumbling like that, you'll wake the entire camp!" Will whispered in a deep voice. He answered himself in a coarser voice. "They're all old men with bows; we've robbed people with dogs for guards." Will turned towards the entrance flap and said in his first voice, "Let's move on."

Instead of moving away, Will lunged inside the tent and tried to tackle Halt. He was met by a fist to his nose. He felt as if a river was pouring out of his nose. He fell beside Halt on his back and moaned. Halt looked at him unsympathetically.

"Why are you pretending to be a robber and jumping in my tent?" Halt gave Will a rag to mop up the blood.

"Trying to scare you is all. I figured burglars jumping into your tent would scare you quite a bit." Will thought for a moment. "Maybe if I hadn't woken you it would have worked." Will looked at the rag and was surprised to see how much blood was on it. "Gilan's right, with hands like those you aren't really a defenseless old man." Will looked up at Halt.

"Get out of my tent." Will sat up and Halt shoved him out of the front of the tent.

Will landed on his hands and knees outside with a bloody rag and a still bleeding nose. He walked to his tent muttering all the way. When he got to his tent, Gilan was standing outside it.

"I see you failed." Gilan shook his head. "You shouldn't have woken him up. It might have worked then." He noticed Will's nose and smiled. "I'm guessing you didn't meet a defenseless old man in that tent."

"Shut it. Scaring Halt isn't easy. I'd like to see you try." Will got down on his knees and started into his tent.

"I will try and I will be the winner." He smirked. "Just wait until Crowley finds out what you tried to do." Gilan walked to his own tent and crawled in.

Gilan was working on his plan to scare Halt late into the night. As he said, 'Don't fall asleep until you have a plan for attack.'

**Ideas are appreciated. Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

The next morning, Gilan, Will and Halt were sitting by the fire and drinking their beloved coffee. The pot was empty and Halt looked at it willing it to fill up by itself. The two younger Rangers looked at it with the same expression. When they had drained their drinks, Crowley came walking up. He made sure to sit well away from Halt. He looked at the pot and sighed.

"Good morning Halt," Crowley said.

"What do you want?" Halt looked at Crowley with a blank expression.

"Why do you assume I want something from you?" Crowley looked offended. Gilan and Will smiled.

"Anytime you say good morning before I do, you want something. Usually you gripe about how I didn't say good morning first and how you deserve more respect." Halt rolled his eyes.

"That's not true! Why can't a friend say good morning to another friend without that friend thinking the other friend needs something from them?" Gilan and Will smiled even bigger.

"I have no idea what you just said and I have no intention to ask you to repeat it. Just tell me what you need me to do," Halt said.

"I need you to scout around. Last night almost the entire camp heard an unusual noise and we suspect that there are robbers about. If you don't find anything, I will need to set up a guard tonight." Crowley sighed. Work never ended.

"You don't need any of that stuff Crowley!" Gilan started laughing.

"Why's that? I can't have bandits running around here doing as they please."

"It was Will! He tried to scare Halt by pretending to be a robber then jumping in and attacking. Halt met him with a fist and he got his nose smashed." Gilan laughed and Crowley looked at Will with a smile.

"He's kidding right?" Will shook his head. His earlier amusement was gone. "That's stupid! Why would you try to wake him up?" Crowley started laughing. Will glared at him.

"I seem to remember that you tried a foolish attempt at scaring him and failed as horribly as me." Will smiled remembering the event.

"Whatever. At least I didn't wake him up and jump in front of his fist." Everybody but Halt laughed, even Will accepted the fact that he had been stupid. Halt was tired of all this laughing and goofing around.

Finally they calmed down and started staring at the empty pot again. It was about five minutes before Halt sighed and got tired of waiting for them to do anything. He stood and picked the pot up. Three faces smiled up at him.

"I'm making one cup. And since I know you are all terrible at math, one cup is for one person which is me. If you want some, you can get up and get some." Halt walked away and the trio sat watching sadly.

Gilan stood up and looked down at them as Halt walked away. "Guess it's my turn." He followed Halt with a quick pace and soon was following him into the fringes of the forest without Halt's knowing.

"He's a goner." Crowley shook his head.

"I sort of want to watch but after Gil and I followed you, I'm not too eager to be caught snooping on Halt." Will looked at his empty cup. "But it wouldn't be snooping if we went to get some coffee water." Will stood and Crowley followed him until they to disappeared into the forest.

Gilan followed Halt until they came to a portion of the river that was set in the forest quite a ways. This was the freshest part of the creek and it was used for drinking water. Gilan watched Halt expecting him to walk into the small clearing and kneel down by the creek. Instead, Halt walked around the edge of the trees and Gilan got worried when he disappeared into the background. He started looking around nervously. This wasn't good.

He spotted a movement nearby and calmed down a little bit. But when he started watching the movement, he realized that there were two people and neither was Halt. He was back to worry mode. He watched as Crowley and Will broke cover a few feet from him and started walking towards the creek to get water.

He started to calm down again when he saw that nothing happened to them as they approached the creek. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder and put pressure on it. He winced and fell to his knees. Halt smiled down at him.

"How ya doing? I don't suppose you came here for water?" Halt looked at Gilan with a wolfish grin.

"I was to getting water!" Gilan got to his feet painfully as Halt kept pressure on his shoulder.

"I don't see any cup." Halt shoved Gilan into the clearing and to the creek. He waved to Crowley and Will who started smiling as they saw what was going on. Halt led Gilan to the very edge of the steep bank leading to the creek. "I give you one chance. Do you forfeit or do I have to throw you in the water a million times?" Halt looked at Gilan threateningly. Gilan just smiled.

"I will never give up. Besides, I could use a dip in the river. I love swimming." Gilan grinned and Halt just rolled his eyes.

"Good thing you like swimming. You'll be doing it until you're shriveled up." Halt shoved Gilan into the middle of the river. Gilan came up grinning and snorting. "To bad this is dirtying the water," Halt said as he shook his head and sat down on the bank. Gilan went to climb out of the river. One look from Halt stopped him. "If I were you, I would stay put until I say you can climb out." Halt leaned back on his elbows.

"Have fun Gil!" Will called over his shoulder as he and Crowley walked away laughing.

"Just to let you know, I wasn't fooled for an instant. I know you weren't here for coffee water!" Halt called over his shoulder. Crowley and Will stopped, looked back then broke into a dead sprint.

When they were gone, Gilan looked up at Halt. He looked as if he was getting ready to stay in his position on the bank all day. Gilan looked at him expecting him to say that he could get out. He waited. And waited. And waited. After about twenty minutes, Gilan looked at Halt with a suspicious look.

"Can I get out yet Halt? I'm getting cold." Gilan shivered.

"Hold up your hand." Gilan did so and Halt examined it from his seat. It wasn't wrinkly yet. "No." Halt leaned back and relaxed. Gilan stood staring at him in confusion. Halt just shook his head.

**Please Review **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I think this turned out great! Read and review please please please! **

Gilan walked to his tent shivering. Halt was behind him with a pot full of water. Halt had a blank face even though he was grinning inside. Gilan went into his tent to change as Halt made his coffee. He was sitting by the fire when Will and Crowley came up.

"Don't you have anything to do besides sit by the fire all the time?" Halt glared at the two as they seated themselves.

"You've been gone about three hours Halt. We finished all of our chores and everything we needed to do. Besides, this is the first day of the Gathering. Nobody really has any work to do today," Crowley said.

When Halt's coffee was finished, he walked away with his cup. He didn't bother to look back over his shoulder; nobody would dare bother him when he had his coffee. Will and Crowley sat around the fire discussing what had been happening in Araluen for the past year. Nothing much happened but it was still interesting. Soon Gilan joined them. He didn't look too happy.

"I have a proposal for you both." Gilan looked at them with a serious look.

"Shouldn't you give it to Jenny?" Will asked. Crowley and Will started laughing. Gilan glared at them and they stopped. "You must be learning from Halt," Will said.

"Now is not the time." Crowley and Will nodded acknowledgement. "I say that we change the rules a little. You can either scare him or embarrass him to death. I've only seen him embarrassed a few times in his long life and I think he needs more embarrassing memories." Gilan looked at Will and Crowley and they nodded.

"But we could easily embarrass him. We could just go and mention Pauline and his date nights," Crowley said.

"The thing is you have to make sure he doesn't kill you and for him to be embarrassed, people have to see." They all smiled evilly.

"Halt must hate all of us by now." Will stated.

"Nope. Remember, whoever wins is who he likes the most. It means he spent the most time with them and they figured out his weaknesses. Therefore, the winner would be the one who isn't dead by the end of the Gathering." Gilan smiled deviously. "Besides, I don't really care anymore. I just want to see him embarrassed or scared out of his wits."

"Do we have to tell Halt about the rule change?" Will asked. He had always praised Halt but resisting the chance to embarrass him was like trying to resist a cup of coffee.

"Absolutely not! If he finds out about this change he'll kill us for sure. He has a quick temper and I believe we are the only ones that he doesn't kill when he gets angry." Crowley looked at the two apprentices seriously. "Doing this is like ambushing the Temujai. It may be fun and the results are great, but he will retaliate. And when he does, we best be ready." They both nodded.

"But think about it, everything good is either dangerous or illegal," Gilan said regaining his usual friendly attitude.

"I can vouch for that. I don't know how many times I've wanted to slap an arrogant knight upside the head or dump him in a lake," Will said grinning.

"So it's agreed! You have to embarrass or scare Halt to be his favorite!" Gilan looked at Crowley and Will. "Who wants to go first? I'm certainly not."

Crowley stood up bravely. "I will. I think I have something." Crowley walked away with a smile on his face. Will and Gilan soon followed a little timidly. They didn't know how Halt would react to this.

They walked to the central tent. Halt was sitting on the small slope that led up to it drinking his coffee. Nobody really stopped to look at Halt but there were plenty of Rangers going into the tent to drop letters and notices off for Crowley. Most of the Rangers were lounging in front of their tents enjoying their lunch and talking to their friends. It looked like a war party having picnics with all the bows and knives that were close at hand. Crowley walked up to Halt and sat down by him. Halt finished his coffee and set the cup down.

"What do you want Crowley?" Halt didn't even look at his friend.

"No hello. I really must have some respect around here! It took a lot of work to get to my current position and I don't even get any respect for it!" Crowley complained. Will and Gilan sat down in front of an empty tent and acted as if they were discussing an important topic.

"I believe you get some respect. Yesterday some frightened little apprentice asked me where 'Sir Crowley' was. I told him to be a sir you had to have some brains so there was no 'Sir Crowley' around here." There was the slightest mocking tone when Halt said Sir Crowley.

"Geese Halt! Maybe I like being called sir! Maybe I will make it so Rangers have to learn respect and discipline!" Crowley rambled.

"It's a little too late for most of us to learn discipline." Halt looked at Crowley as Crowley crossed his arms across his chest. "Oh just get on with it. Why did you come here?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something." Crowley started smiling. "Remember the first time you met Pauline?" Crowley yelled.

His practiced voice carried over the entire Gathering ground. All the Rangers knew about Halt's marriage to Pauline and sort of knew their history and how it came to be. They didn't know details about it though. All the Rangers paused what they were doing and looked towards the two friends. Some people from the archery ranges started to slink towards the tent trying to remain unnoticed.

"Shut it Crowley." Halt's Hiberinian accent showed itself in a near snarl and his eyes looked ready to kill.

"You don't remember?" Crowley continued loudly. "How could you forget?"

"I am going to kill you if you don't shut it." Halt's words were almost inaudible because of the accent.

"If you really don't remember I'd be happy to jog your memory!" Crowley scooted away from Halt. He felt the eyes on them and was wondering if this was so smart.

"Shut it." Halt stayed where he was and looked at Crowley. His eyes could have stopped the Kalkara and made it drop dead.

"Well if you really don't remember, I am happy to explain! Don't you remember how you started drooling? Then the first time you talked to her you stuttered through your speech like you had cotton mouth! Don't you even remember how red your face turned? It was like you were a tomato!" Crowley stood and started backing away. Near the end, his voice started to get quieter.

Everybody was grinning from ear to ear as they listened. They didn't even try to hide their interest and enjoyment. They all thought of Halt as a big threatening figure that was larger than life and they all respected him. They took enjoyment in anything that made him seem less threatening. So the fact that he had frozen up in front of Pauline was hilarious. They watched as Halt's face turned red and he tried to hide his embarrassment and anger. Halt stood and started towards Crowley as he backed away.

Crowley backed right into Gilan and Will. They started laughing at Halt and at Crowley's reactions. Other Rangers joined in. Crowley tried to shove past them but Gilan caught his shoulders and held him still while he yelled at Halt.

"Wow Halt! I never knew you could be tongue tied or intimidated by Pauline! Wow! I'm guessing that you got tongue tied during the proposal?" Gilan blocked himself with Crowley before Halt could get any closer. "Sorry Crowley, but you know the rules. You have to get out of this alive or else it doesn't count. I have to say, if Halt catches you you're dead meat. Literally," Gilan said in whisper. He shoved Crowley back towards a fuming Halt and hid a smile behind his hand.

"You're coming with me Crowley." This time Halt did snarl. Crowley let out a whimper.

"Come on Halt, it was a harmless j…j…j." Halt grabbed Crowley by the collar. "Okay then let's take a walk then," Crowley said in a worried tone as Halt dragged him away.

They walked away with 48 Rangers following not trying to hide their amusement. It wasn't very often that two friends who happened to be a legendary figure and the Ranger Commandant got into something like this.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt dragged Crowley along paying no mind to the apprentices and Rangers following him. He dragged Crowley purposely making him loose his footing and walk through puddles and muddy areas. He looked furious and Crowley looked frightened. No, he was past frightened and Halt was past furious.

"Halt. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I promise I'll do anything, just don't kill me." Crowley lost his footing once again and fell to his knees in the mud. Halt kept dragging him. "Please don't kill me. I have so much to live for."

"I won't kill you that would get me executed. But I am going to make you suffer." Halt smiled deviously.

"I prefer a quick death." Crowley whimpered.

"I said I wasn't going to kill you and I won't but when we get to camp, I'm taking your coffee and believe me when I say that nobody will dare give you any."

They reached the edge of the giant lake that Halt had thrown him in before. The Rangers circled around watching intently. Most were smiling and others were laughing. Halt threw Crowley down at his feet and smiled a wolfish grin. Crowley whimpered for about the fifth time that day.

"So Crowley, I hear that you fancy a certain diplomat at the castle." Halt boomed loudly. The Rangers started whistling.

"I…I'm just friends with Sarah!" Crowley protested. Halt picked him up and threw him into the lake. Crowley surfaced and looked at him. "What was that for?" He yelled.

"No lying to me. Now get out and get back here," Halt said. Crowley crawled out of the lake and came to stand before him. "Now tell me, is it true you fancy Miss Sarah?" The Rangers whistled again. Gilan and Will were the closest and whistling the most.

"Yes." Crowley looked at his feet and muttered.

"I can't hear you!" Halt cupped a hand behind his ear.

"Maybe you're getting a little old," Crowley said loud enough for all to hear. They laughed. Halt shoved Crowley back in the water.

"Answer me. Do like Miss Sarah?" Halt motioned for Crowley to crawl out. He did and came to stand in front of Halt, dripping wet.

"Yes okay? Yes!" Crowley admitted. His face started to turn red in embarrassment.

"And is it true that you asked her to the dance a few weeks ago?"

"Yes." Crowley looked at Halt and started shaking his head. "Don't do this Halt. Please. I'm begging you," He said quietly.

"And is it true that you ended up throwing up on her during a particularly slow dance?" Halt went on.

"It was bad shrimp! I swear!" Crowley yelled. He was beet red. Halt shoved him back in the water. He surfaced and yelled. "Fine! Okay? I did!" Crowley looked directly at Halt. "At least it didn't take me twenty years to ask her out!"

Crowley yelled and jumped to the side as Halt went to tackle him in the water. Halt landed with a splash and was immediately back up. He dove for Crowley again as Crowley started yelling bloody murder. The Rangers were laughing and yelling the names of the brawlers. Halt missed again but didn't surface this time. The water was murky around Crowley and he started to get nervous. He was turning in circles looking in the water for a sign of his angry companion. They were in the middle of the lake and Crowley didn't have a foothold on the bottom of the lake. He started to swim towards the bank.

He was about two meters away from the bank when it happened. Halt grabbed him around the waist and pulled him under. The crowd gave a mighty roar as the two came back up wrestling. Halt managed to shove Crowley back under and hold him for a minute. Crowley came back up spitting water out.

"I give up Halt! You win!" Crowley raised his hands to block himself from Halt.

"I don't." Halt grabbed Crowley by the collar and swam to the bank.

He dragged Crowley out and held him upright and looked in his eyes. Crowley saw something in Halt's eyes that was oddly out of place. It was the look of amusement. Halt looked at the surrounding Rangers that were forming a circle around him. He spotted the first year apprentice and motioned him over.

"Give me that rope you have." Halt commanded. The apprentice handed him the rope then darted back to his spot in the circle.

Halt tied one end of the rope around Crowley's right wrist and led him to a nearby tree. Crowley looked at Halt in fear. Halt put Crowley's back to the tree and pulled his arms around so they were behind the tree. He then took Crowley's left wrist and tied the rope around it so that Crowley was pinned to the tree. Halt then simply left. With the crowd following him laughing.

"Halt! Halt! Come back! I order you!" Crowley desperately shouted. It was no use. "Can I at least have some coffee?" He yelled. No answer, the crowd was gone except for two figures who approached him. Gilan and Will stopped in front of him and smiled.

"I guess you failed. You failed epically." Gilan shook his head then started to laugh his head off.

"Untie me! If I stand here, I'll catch a cold with these clothes on!" Crowley looked at Will who shook his head.

Gilan and Will walked away laughing while Crowley sighed and started to fight his bonds. This was going to be a long day if he couldn't get untied soon. He was in the middle of tugging on the rope when he heard a deep voice call from the forest.

"Don't even try to get free until I come back!" Halt called. Crowley stopped what he was doing and stood stock still too terrified to even breathe. "See you in a few hours," Halt said.

Even though Crowley was sure Halt had left, he didn't fight the bonds anymore. If Halt found out, he would be tied here all night.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. Remember to review.**

Crowley walked back to camp with Halt behind him. His mouth was gagged so he couldn't talk. Or for the matter, yell. Crowley walked to the fire where Will and Gilan were sitting. He had been walking in dark for some time now so the light from the fire dazzled his eyes. Halt made himself comfortable and took his cup of coffee from Gilan who was watching Crowley with an amused look.

"Nice work Crowley. You really put up a fight," Gilan said sarcastically. "I give up Halt! You win!" He added in a mocking tone.

"Jumf waif," Crowley tried to say under his gag. He turned to Halt with pleading eyes and motioned towards his gag with his hands.

"If you must." Halt took a sip of his coffee. "Did you two make supper or do I have to?"

"We made soup." Gilan proudly announced.

"Well can we have some?" Crowley said. He threw the gag at Halt. It fluttered downward like a tissue. Halt looked at it then went back to finishing his coffee.

"We ate the soup," Will said.

"I'm guessing I'm making my own supper then?" Halt asked.

"I saved you some," Will said.

"Then get on with it and give it to me!" Halt said agitated.

"You could have had it earlier but you went off in the forest." Gilan looked at Crowley and smiled as he sat down away from Halt.

"Well, I could have left dear Crowley to the wolves but then I might be blamed for murder even if I didn't give the wolves directions to his position. And if that didn't happen, I might have to take up his post and that would mean paperwork. The only thing paper is good for in my opinion is burning." Halt took the bowl Will handed him. He put his lips to it and took a sip.

"What about mine?" Crowley asked a little awkwardly.

"We didn't know you'd be coming by. We thought Halt was going to make you stay there all night. If you want, we have some jerky in our saddle packs." Will offered.

"Okay. Can I have some coffee with that?"

"Nope. You heard what I said on our pleasant walk to the lake. No coffee." Halt took another small sip of his soup.

"I didn't know you were serious!" Crowley yelped.

"When have I ever not been serious?" Halt said.

Will came back with a cup of water and the jerky. He handed it to Crowley and sat back down near Gilan. He started to watch Halt as he drank his soup. Soon enough, Halt jumped up and started wiping his tongue. His eyes were bulging and he was in a somewhat panic. Will just smiled.

"Water! Water!" Halt yelled.

"I wouldn't Halt," Will said in a warning tone.

Halt ignored him and grabbed Crowley's water. He downed it in one gulp. The water just made it worse. He looked at Will and Gilan with fury before he ran off in search of something that would stop the burning in his mouth. The three listened as Halt started yelling at another Ranger to give him his coffee. By the way the argument was going; Halt was going to suffer for a while.

"What was that all about?" Crowley asked while finishing his jerky.

"Malcolm taught me a little recipe to make stuff super spicy. I went gathering earlier and got the plants I needed," Will said proudly. "In a little while, the stuff will drive Halt completely insane." Will saw Crowley's worried look. "It won't hurt him though. It will just drive him insane. The only way to stop the sensation is to eat grass. It has some acid in it or something that drives out the burning."

"I'm not worried about Halt. I'm worried about your health. And not just physical. You're nuts for doing this but when Halt finds out that it was you, you're going to be in a coffin and I'm going to be telling the assembled your accomplishments through life." Crowley shook his head.

"Halt already knows it's me. And I have a plan to make sure he doesn't kill me. And by the time this is all over, I have confidence that I'll be dubbed Halt's favorite." Will smiled proudly.

"I'm going to start writing your burial speech. How's this sound?" Crowley cleared his throat dramatically. "Will Treaty, honest, loyal, strong hearted and stupid. Through his life he accomplished much and he saved Araluen quite a number of times. But he was stupid enough to spike Halt's soup and get himself buried. We will all miss you Will." Crowley finished his little dramatic speech and they all started laughing.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

It felt as if a fire was starting in his mouth. The burning wasn't harming him; it was just annoying and very hot. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he went through the dark camp. The burning was getting stronger and stronger.

Halt ran through the dark camp stopping at every fire. Rangers were gathered around them and watched him with amusement as he ran around begging for coffee or anything else that would stop the burning. They were true to the Ranger nature and protected their coffee so each time he stopped, he got turned away. It only made him angrier when he heard the laughter his departure brought.

The burning was getting worse and worse. He started towards the central tent. He got to the slope and sat down. He continued to wipe his tongue vehemently but it didn't help. He was there for about five minutes before he saw the Rangers gathering around him and Will walking towards him.

"I'm going to kill you Will!" Halt stood and started towards Will but the youth just wagged a finger.

"Not if you want the burning to stop. I know how to stop it and I'm sure you'd like to hear." Will walked around Halt in a circle while Halt turned to watch him.

"Tell me and then we'll see whether you live or not." Halt's accent was starting to add a burr to his words.

"Promise not to kill me?" Will stopped and faced Halt once his back was to the tent. The Rangers watched with interest.

"No! Just tell me what to do all ready!" Halt was getting agitated and Will realized that. But he stood his ground.

"Promise?" Will smiled and heard Gilan and Crowley start snorting as Halt's face contorted. The burning was reaching its maximum. It could stay that way for a day.

"Fine!" Halt yelled. He truly hated apprentices.

"Eat grass." Will almost ran at the look in Halt's eyes. Then he realized there was no place to run. The tent was behind him and they were surrounded by a ring of Rangers. He backed away as Halt approached him.

"I'm no fool! Tell me the truth!" Halt spluttered.

"I am. Do you honestly think I would lie if you just gave your word not to kill me? Now go ahead, eat like a cow." The Rangers started laughing. Halt glared at Will and saw in his eyes that he wasn't kidding.

"Why don't I just wait until it stops then?" Halt practically yelled.

"If you want to go an entire twenty four hours with the burning mouth, be my guest." Will smiled and Gilan and Crowley were grinning wickedly.

He sighed, looked at Will then swallowed his pride. He listened to the laughter grow as he reached down and grabbed a handful of grass and ripped it out of the ground. He would never be able to live this down. Even if he did, nobody here would let him forget it. He stood and looked at the grass in his hands. He once again swallowed his pride and thought of his beloved coffee's taste.

He put the grass to his mouth and closed his eyes. _Just think about coffee. Think about its taste. Just don't think about what you're really eating. Think about the pie at Redmont._ He coaxed himself mentally. He heard the crowd laugh louder as he opened his mouth and bit a small piece of grass off of the handful he had. He chewed slowly with his eyes still closed. He swallowed and felt the burning cool down a bit. He opened his mouth again and took another bite. He swore he heard bodies fall to the ground in laughter. His eyes shot open as the burning ceased.

He looked around and marked down several names. They weren't on his good side. About ten Rangers were on the ground or bent double and all of them were in uncontrollable fits of laughter. Gilan and Crowley were supporting each other so they didn't fall down. Halt ignored them all; there would be plenty of time to deal with them. Right now he had to deal with Will. He turned towards the young man and a hush fell on the crowd, only broken by the occasional bark of laughter that couldn't be held in. They were all smiling. Especially Will.

"I have three words of advice for you. Run. Right. Now." Halt's accent made the snarl all the more threatening. "I'm tired of these games. I can't even have my supper without having to worry." The Rangers immediately stopped smiling. Halt was past furious. Not only because of what happened, he was tired of it all. All the things that had been happening the past few days. It had gone too far in his eyes but in everybody else's eyes it was just getting started.

"Sorry Halt, but you can't harm me. You promised and if I know anything about you, I know that you stick to your word." Will was the only one smiling still.

"Crowley! Come here a moment!" Halt yelled. His eyes were fixed on Will's. Crowley cautiously walked towards Halt and stopped a few feet to his right. His cloak wouldn't help him hide from Halt now.

"Yes Halt?" Crowley felt scared for Will.

"When I brought you to the lake did I kill you?" Halt's eyes had a look of victory.

"No. You just embarrassed me and made me quite frustrated. Why?" Crowley looked at Halt strangely. Halt ignored his question.

"You see Will? I didn't _kill_ dear Crowley, I just made him frustrated and a little emotionally hurt. So I will repeat my warning. Run." Will looked completely terrified as he realized his mistake. His plan had come crashing down and turned to ashes in a matter of seconds.

Will slowly started backing away from Halt. Halt just looked at him curiously. "I thought I said run. If this is as fast as you can run, then maybe I should give you a day's lead." The Rangers started snickering again as Will turned and sprinted into the tent. "I think you're cornered in there boy!" Halt yelled. The Rangers burst out laughing as Will came running back out of the tent and broke through the semi-circle. He ran into the forest with Halt a few seconds behind him.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. Enjoy.**

Will sprinted through the dark forest fueled by adrenaline. He wasn't running for his life, Halt had promised not to kill, but he was running for everything else. His first mistake was made when he looked back to see how close Halt was. Halt was around two feet behind him and gaining fast. His second mistake was when he stopped in his tracks, to terrified to run anymore.

Halt saw Will stop and prepared himself for impact. He slammed into the slight frame with enough force to move Tug. Will landed on his back a few feet ahead gasping for air. Halt stood and looked at him for a short while. He didn't know what to do with the boy but he would think of something. Halt walked over to him and looked down into his eyes. Will gained his breath and looked back at Halt like he was prey.

"I'm sorry Halt! I'm sorry!" Will shielded his face with upraised arms. Halt just looked at him with a blank expression. That was almost as bad as an angry look.

"If you were sorry, you'd never do it again. And I am positive that you'll keep doing these types of things. And as long as you do these things, I'm going to keep punishing you." Halt picked him up by the collar of his cloak.

"I won't do it anymore! I swear! I'll give up and try to get Gilan to stop also!" Will looked into Halt's eyes then realized something about Halt's grip on him.

"What fun would that be? I want Gilan to give up himself." The corners of Halt's mouth turned upwards a little. "I have something in store for him. As for you, do you give up?"

Will decided now was as good a time as any to put Operation Escape into action. He jerked around and started to pull away. Halt held on with an iron grip to the collar but the clasp gave out and Halt was left with an empty cloak and the image of a fleeing twit.

"Will!" Halt yelled.

Halt took off in pursuit of Will who was heading back to the camp. Halt broke from the tree cover a few moments after Will. He turned in a circle and saw a movement heading towards the tents. Halt ran full on into the crooked rows and didn't slow. He ran past a group of Rangers who immediately started laughing at him when he had passed. He stopped in his tracks and turned towards them. It was the apprentices.

"And what's so funny?" Halt slowly walked towards them, they stopped laughing and were now sitting in a little bit of fear.

"Nothing sir." The oldest one said. His eyes were downcast and his quiet voice was shaky.

"That's what I thought. You have to learn to respect your elders." Halt looked at the tent they were crowded in front of. He swore he saw something move inside.

"But I thought all Rangers were equal no matter their position. Apprentice, fully-fledged or retired." A second year said.

"You're too young to think," Halt said distractedly.

He shoved past the group and opened the flaps to the tent. Inside was a figure huddled on the ground trying to look small. Halt looked at it more carefully and smiled. It was Will and he hadn't noticed Halt yet. Halt quietly reached in and grabbed the shape by the shirt collar and the figure yelped. Halt pulled Will out of the tent with ease and dragged him back to their tents on the outskirts. When he got there Gilan and Crowley were swapping stories of their times with Halt. They stopped when they spotted him.

"I see you caught him," Gilan said casually. He grinned at Will.

Halt ignored him and walked up to a pine tree that was a meter or so out of the circle of light the fire cast. He dropped Will at the base of the tree and gave him the order to climb. Will obliged and climbed about fifteen feet up the tree and got settled on a branch. He knew he'd be here all night. And quite frankly, he thought it was safer than on the ground with Halt.

"I'll wake you in the morning. Don't come down until then." Halt's voice had a sort of warning tone.

Will didn't answer but he knew that Halt knew he understood. He had no intention of climbing down. He didn't even want to see how Halt awoke him in the morning.

Halt sat down at the fire. The moon was full and cast a dull glow around the camp. He looked at Gilan and Crowley before he spoke. "I'll give you this chance only. If you refuse, then each time you do anything against me, I'll get you back." Halt looked into each of their eyes. They both just smiled. "Do you give up?"

"Of course not! This is just getting to be fun!" Halt's gaze snapped to Gilan. "Just wait. We have two more days before we… give up." Gilan said give up as if he had no intention to ever do so.

"I'm not giving up either. I still haven't gotten full revenge for you tossing me in the lake the first time," Crowley said.

"You told the entire Ranger society about my first encounter with Pauline! Wasn't that your revenge?" Halt glared at Crowley. He would never hear the end of that one.

"That didn't make up for me getting a fish down the pants! Besides, you tied me to a tree for like three hours after that." Crowley stood up and left for his own tent.

Halt looked at Gilan with an amused look. "Did a fish really go down his pants?"

"Yep. A trout to be exact." Gilan laughed at the memory. "I better be off. I have a few things to do tomorrow and I can't be tired." He stood and walked away leaving Halt to watch the dying flames. Before he made it out of the light of the fire, he heard Halt snort. He turned to face him. "Did you just…laugh?"

"I was just imagining Crowley's face. He hates sushi." Halt stood and went to his tent.

Gilan walked away chuckling at Halt's comment. When he got to his tent, he sat outside waiting for the camp to go dark and everybody to drift into sleep. That would be his time to act.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Gilan stood up carefully and peered over all the tents. Nobody was moving around and the fires were just red coals. He smiled and crawled into his tent to grab the papers. He got out of his tent and peered around again. When he saw the coast was clear, he started to go around to the tents and slip the papers in between the flaps. A few times he heard the inhabitants stir but nobody awoke. He went to all tents except for his and Halt's, when he got to Crowley's main tent he dropped one of the special letters in. When he got back to his tent he went to Will's tent and put a special note inside also. It was late and he was tired but he was smiling like a madman. He crawled into his tent and settled down. Soon he was asleep.

He woke to the noise of shuffling outside his tent. He opened the flaps and wiped his blurry eyes. He saw Halt pointing his bow up at the tree where Will had spent the night. Gilan crawled out of his tent and walked up beside Halt as he was searching for Will's resting place.

"The sun just rose, what are you doing up so early?" By the looks of it, Gilan suspected Halt was about to give Will a rude awakening.

"Waking Will up. Now keep your voice down," Halt said in a whisper.

Halt found Will and raised his bow. He raised it so the arrow would strike the trunk above Will's head by an inch or two. He released the arrow and automatically got another arrow. He shot this one to the right of Will's face. The arrows thudded into the wood a second apart.

Will jumped as the arrows struck and he started to fall. He caught onto some branches and managed not to fall. Down below he could hear Gilan laughing and he could sort of see Halt's shape watching him. He was in an uncomfortable position and looked like he was in a hammock of branches.

"What the heck Halt?" He shouted down. Gilan continued to laugh.

"What is a heck?" Halt shouted up. Will ignored him.

"Get me down from here!" Will felt branches poking him all over.

"That's your problem! You're the one who decided to fall off the branch!" Halt called up. Gilan was laughing his head off as Halt walked away to set up the fire.

Will managed to get into a manageable position to climb down safely after a while of fighting the branches. He climbed down and jumped the remaining two feet when he arrived at the bottom. He went over to the snorting Gilan and delivered a slap to his arm.

"What was that for?" Gilan rubbed his arm while smiling his head off.

"You could have warned me!" Will shook his head dismissing the matter. "Halt's getting pretty mad don't you think?" Will glanced at his old mentor who was getting the pot of water to make coffee.

"That's what's going to make this all the more fun! I got something planned for later. It was inspired by you so if you want I can give you a shout out when it happens." Gilan started walking towards the fire for his breakfast.

"No thanks. I'm out of it for today. You and Crowley can get him mad while he forgets what I did. Tomorrow if nobody won, I'll make a move," Will said while falling into sync with Gilan.

"You might want to get on some new clothes, you smell like a tree." Gilan sat down by the fire while Will went into his tent. Gilan watched for a moment before turning to Halt. "So how was your night?"

"The first peaceful night I've had in a day or so." Halt handed Gilan a cup of coffee and put one aside for Will. "Tonight better be the same."

"No problem. I was so tired last night after laughing myself dead. And I have stuff to do today so I'll probably turn in early." Gilan smiled and stretched out.

Will came out of his tent in new clothes and looked at Gilan. Gilan looked right back and saw Will nod his head discreetly. He had gotten the note. He settled himself down by Gilan and took his coffee while Halt gave them bowls of the left over soup. Will noticed that Halt looked at his and took small sips before he actually drank any of it. Will smiled.

When they finished their breakfast and were relaxing and finishing their coffee, the rest of the camp was waking up. Crowley walked into their area like he always did. He looked at Gilan and gave him the same discreet nod Will had. Gilan smiled and motioned for him to join them. Crowley sat down next to Will and looked at the fire before speaking.

"Halt, I need you to do the camp patrol after lunch. It's just the normal scouting and making sure nobody is in the premises." Halt nodded. Crowley glanced at Gilan when Halt went to get changed. Gilan nodded.

When Halt returned, he took one look at the quiet group and frowned. This wasn't like them. "I have to go and watch the final year apprentices today until lunch. If you even show your face around there, I swear I will chase you down and tie you to a tree until the end of the Gathering." He walked away and let the threat hang there.

When he was out of hearing range, Gilan looked at his two friends. "I take it you got the messages?" They both nodded, not trying to hide their grins anymore. "So you have your lute?"

"It's a mandola!" Will protested.

"Do you have the hollow hunk of wood with strings?" Gilan asked.

"It's a mandola and yes I do." Will crossed his arms. Calling his instrument a hunk of wood was no better than calling it a lute.

"Okay then. Do you know what your job is then?"

"I've done it before Gil," Will said.

"Good. I'll see you after lunch. I have to go get a few things planned out." Gilan walked away.

"He's losing it." Crowley shook his head. "Can I have some coffee?" Crowley looked desperately at Will.

"No. I'm still in hot water with Halt. If he finds out, I'm dead meat." Will stood and walked off to watch the first year apprentice's shooting.

Crowley sighed and followed.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Gilan walked through the camp acting like he was going on with business. As he passed Rangers, he saw them nod or lock eyes with him. They were all going through with it. He smiled as he approached the shooting range to see if the apprentices were going with it. He stopped in his tracks as he remembered Halt's threat. Normally he would pay no mind to it but right now, if he went in Halt would watch him too carefully and he wouldn't be able to get the sign from the apprentices without him seeing. Gilan shrugged, he could ask them at lunch.

It was a boring day and Gilan mostly lounged around and talked with the other Rangers. When lunch came, he felt a clenching in his gut. If Halt found out now or suddenly decided to not go on patrol, the plan would be wrecked. Gilan shrugged the feeling away. What would happen would happen and if it went great, that would be awesome. He walked to the small area where the small group all ways ate. Halt was already there and cooking some rabbit he had shot earlier. Gilan approached and took a deep breath as he smelled the cooking meat.

"Go get the arrows out of the tree if you would," Halt said while he turned the makeshift spit.

"Why can't you?"

"The last time I let you cook our lunch you set it on fire and we had to eat stale bread." Halt looked up at him. "Go." He returned to what he was doing.

Gilan sighed and walked towards the tall pine where Will had spent the previous night. He started to climb up to where the arrows had lodged into the wood. He tugged on them until they came out and then he started back down. He got to the bottom and walked towards the cooking fire where he found Will and Crowley sitting beside Halt. Gilan tossed the arrows down at Halt's feet before taking a seat beside Crowley.

"You're bleeding," Halt said as he took the meat off the spit and put it in bowls.

Gilan put a hand on the side of his neck where he felt a burning sensation. His hand came away with red liquid on it. "Well, there're these things called branches on a tree. And when a particularly sharp branch hits you, it tends to rip your skin apart and draw blood." Gilan accepted the bowl that Halt handed to him.

"I'm not an idiot. I know how you got scratched. I just thought you might like to know." Halt leaned back and started eating.

Halt was the first to finish. He stood and walked towards the tree line to start his scouting. The trio at the fire watched him. They hurriedly finished their lunch and stood. Gilan looked at them both.

"You have about ten minutes to get everybody assembled. I'll go and wait for Halt. You think you can handle it?" They both nodded. "Don't forget your lute." Gilan grabbed a black cloak and walked away before Will could correct him.

He walked directly through the camp to the opposite end. On his way, he saw Rangers hurrying to finish lunch and get their cloaks. When he passed the group of apprentices he was relieved to see them nod. Everything was going great. He walked into the forest and put the cloak on making sure the hood was up. He began to wander towards where Halt should spot him.

And soon enough, Halt came along. Gilan stopped in his tracks and Halt maneuvered behind a tree and poked his cowled head around it. He watched what he thought was a stranger as the stranger slowly turned in a circle towards him. When the stranger turned towards him, a sixth sense told Halt that the stranger spotted him. He still didn't move.

The black cloaked figure took off at a sprint and Halt was soon following. Anybody who ran was up to no good. They tramped through the forest. Halt was shrugging his bow off his shoulder when they burst into a clearing. The stranger stood in the middle while Halt approached him with his bow drawn. The stranger put his hands up.

"Halt, don't shoot me please." Halt froze. It was Gilan's voice. He still didn't lower the bow. "It's me, Gilan."

"A great reason to shoot." Halt looked around. He didn't see any other Rangers but he seemed to sense presences. "What are you up to?" Gilan lowered the cowl to his cloak and flicked his hands.

"Graybeard Halt is a friend of mine!" A deep voice sang out. It was coming from behind Halt.

He turned and saw nothing but now he was sure that the people he had sensed were actually here. He turned back to Gilan and almost shot him. Will had come up with the song and Halt had made him tear up the lyrics but Gilan had apparently gotten them somehow. Halt went to speak but before he could another voice interrupted.

"He lives on Redmont's hill!" This voice sounded like Will's and it came from Halt's right.

Halt cursed and turned back to Gilan. "I'm going to kill you. That song was supposed to be a secret." His voice was deep and menacing.

"Oh this isn't even the beginning. I have something in store for when this wonderful song is over. This is just to annoy you. I highly doubt it's embarrassing." Gilan smiled and moved backwards before Halt could hit him. Halt lowered his bow. He might as well endure this. He couldn't shoot anybody if they were hidden.

"Graybeard Halt never took a bath!" Crowley's voice sang out. It was met with laughter.

"And they say he never will!" It was actually Gilan who yelled this. More laughter and Halt's face was red.

"Fare thee well, Graybeard Halt!" A voice on the opposite side of the clearing.

"Fare thee well I say!" A voice to the left.

"Fare thee well Graybeard Halt! I'll see you on your way!" It sounded as if all the Rangers had yelled together. The ending was met with laughter as the Rangers stepped into the clearing.

"Okay then! Next is a little poetry reading!" Gilan shouted. Halt's eyes bulged as he realized what he meant.

Halt had written some poems for Pauline for their wedding but had chickened out when he went to read them to her. He carried them everywhere he went. He dashed at Gilan. He couldn't let these poems be read. Gilan sidestepped and looked down at Halt.

"I see you know what I'm talking about." Gilan smiled. "Okay then! Let's start with this poem!" He held up a piece of folded paper. The crowd egged him on.

**Remember to review! I will review yours if you review mine! Sadly we must admit that this tale will be coming to an end soon. :( But we must move on so if you would please go to my profile and vote whether you want a one-shot or a story with chapters, I would greatly appreciate it. And if you want, you can PM me and offer a Genre **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters. Remember to review and vote on the poll on my profile. **

"Dearest Pauline," Gilan said in a dramatic voice. Halt stood and tried to tackle him. That particular poem he didn't want read. Gilan just danced out of the way. "I want you to know that you are my love." Gilan danced out of the way again. The crowd howled with laughter. "And in my eyes you are as fair as a dove."

Crowley fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. He was the first casualty. Halt jumped again and failed. He ended up jumping into the line of Rangers where two Rangers held him by the arms so Gilan could go uninterrupted.

"I'm going to kill you Gilan!" Halt roared. His voice was so thick with his accent that you could barely understand the words. Gilan just smiled.

"You are a wonder and when I see you, I blunder." The Rangers that were holding Halt had to be replaced with four others. They were laughing too hard and they weren't strong enough to hold back a raging Halt. Gilan had to take a laughing brake. "You are so amazing that I can't help gazing. When I saw you the first time, I knew I needed you to be mine. You are so fine and I cannot help but compare myself to a swine when I am in your presence. When you said yes to be my bride, I swear that I almost cried. I love you Pauline and I am happy you are mine." Gilan fell to the ground laughing so hard his face was red.

Halt's face was red for a different reason. The Rangers holding him fell to the ground laughing like every other Ranger in the clearing. He walked towards Gilan who couldn't stop laughing but knew he had to if he were to survive.

"Don't…hurt….me." Gilan finally managed. "Or I'll…show these…to Pauline." Gilan started laughing again.

Halt stopped in his tracks. He knew he should've burned the poem but whenever he thought about it, he remembered how much Pauline loved poetry. Now he decided that he would have to burn Gilan with the poems. And oddly, he was okay with that. Halt continued towards him but stopped again as he heard a certain instrument start playing. One that he hated and was considering burning with Gilan.

"_Dearest Pauline. I want you to know that you are my love and in my eyes you are as fair as a dove. You are a wonder and when I see you, I blunder. You are so amazing that I can't help gazing. When I saw you the first time, I knew I needed you to be mine. You are so fine and I cannot help but compare myself to a swine when I am in your presence. When you said yes to be my bride, I swear that I almost cried. I love you Pauline and I am happy you are mine_." Will strummed a romantic little tune on his mandola and got some of the recovering Rangers to sing with him.

When the tune was finished, they all fell down again and laughed like drunken Skandians. Halt grabbed his two apprentices by the collars and carried them away. Nobody noticed, they didn't even notice until they had calmed down enough to look around. They were in the forest beneath a giant oak. Halt stepped forward towards Gilan and Gilan raised his hands to shield himself. He was still giggling like a drunken little twit. Halt just ripped the paper out of Gilan's hand and tore it up. He then stomped it into the ground with his boot. He was too furious to do anything.

"Yadsa bogt drufk!" Was Halt's failed attempt at speech in his anger. The apprentices started laughing harder. He glared at them but they didn't notice.

Halt paced in front of them for around ten minutes. They had finally controlled their laughter so it was only short barks of laughter that were stopped when Halt looked at them. Halt on the other hand, was going through every method to control his rising anger. He finally took a deep breath and looked at them with fury only showing in his dark eyes. There was no humor in theirs anymore, just pure terror.

"You don't know how much I want to kill you right now." Halt's voice was quiet and menacing. Much worse than loud and angry. "But laws and rules prohibit me." He sounded disappointed. "Now I want to know who organized this entire thing." Gilan cautiously raised his hand. He knew from experience that lying would just put you in deeper trouble. Not that he could be in any more trouble than now. "Will, I want you to leave. Now." Will got up and sprinted away.

He got back to the camp and ran to the central tent. He slumped down on the grassy slope panting. Rangers were starting to gather around him with curious looks. They had all presumed him and Gilan to be dead. Will sat up and looked at the assembled. Crowley was walking towards him.

"What happened? Where's Gilan?" He asked.

"Halt dismissed me and I fear the worse for Gil." Will was still panting and his clothes were sticking to him. "We should get the burial speech started." Will stood up.

When Will got to his feet and was leaning against Crowley for support, they heard a yell. "Noooooo!" It sounded like Gilan.

"He's a goner." Crowley shook his head. "Let's get started on that speech."

The Rangers dispersed and Crowley led Will to the little ring of tents that was formed with Halt's, Will's and Gilan's. They sat by the fire for what seemed like days. The sky was darkening when Halt and Gilan joined them. Gilan seemed oddly subdued and wouldn't speak. Halt was obviously still mad and wouldn't talk to anybody. He ate his supper and went to bed. Crowley, Will and Gilan sat around the fire.

"Well I guess we won't need the burial speech." Crowley tossed a piece of paper in the fire.

Gilan glanced at it and spotted the sentence 'killed because of amusement. He would have been proud of the level of amusement he caused.' He looked at Crowley and Will once before he hurriedly went to his tent.

The rest of the Gathering had a somewhat dark mood around it. Halt was furious and Gilan refused to even speak about what Halt did to him. As Gilan rode on the path away from the Gathering with Will, he had to ask.

"So I'm the winner right?"

"Well you did get caught and from how you dodge speaking about it, I presume you got punished badly." Will considered for a moment. "But you were wicked brave to do that and you must have spent quite a lot of time with Halt to know where he might hide that poem." Will thought for a few more seconds. "I would say yes. You are hereby Halt's favorite. Wear the title with pride." Will smiled. "Can you tell me what Halt did to you at least?" Will looked at his friend and saw a dark look come over him.

"Don't ever think that leaves never hurt anybody." Gilan rode ahead signaling that the discussion was over. Will just shrugged and continued along the path.

That had been the best Gathering he had ever gone to and as he looked back on it, he couldn't help but laugh.

**Remember to review and I'll review your stories. I really want to know what you thought of the poem. It took me around ten minutes to write. Thanks!**

**Now my friends, this fantastic Gathering has come to an end with Halt wanting to kill his apprentices more than ever. But we must move on.**


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